Ricky Jean-Baptiste felt he had let his team down, and he wanted to make up for it.

The talented Palmetto Ridge High School point guard took a scheduled holiday vacation with his family, missing the Bears’ three games in the Gulfshore Holiday Hoopfest just after Christmas.

Palmetto Ridge went 1-2 in those three games, certainly missing Jean-Baptiste’s scoring, play-making and defensive prowess.

“I was a little disappointed in myself,” Jean-Baptiste admitted. “I probably should have planned (the vacation) differently. I’m supposed to lead the team, and we lost those two games. I felt like it was my fault.”

Returning to action this past weekend at the Don Stewart Shootout at Lely, Jean-Baptiste recorded a pair of 31-point outings in leading his team to two wins. After a 13-point effort in a blowout win over Moore Haven on Monday, Jean-Baptiste again exploded for 31 points in a key district win over Naples on Tuesday. Palmetto Ridge is now 12-4 and looking poised to make some postseason noise this year.

During Friday night’s 75-54 win over Seffner Christian, Jean-Baptiste hit an early three-point basket to surpass the 1,000-point milestone for his career. With a blistering 106 points in four games, Jean-Baptiste is already up to 1,105 career points.

“That meant a lot,” Jean-Baptiste said of reaching the 1,000-point mark. “It’s a goal I set for myself as a freshman, and I was able to meet that goal.”

Jean-Baptiste is a four-year varsity player and three-year starter. He was an integral part of the Bears’ squad that advanced to the regional finals two years ago. Jean-Baptiste didn’t mince words, saying this year’s version of the team is more talented than that one was.

“We’re deeper this year,” he said. “It’s not just one or two players. We’ve got a bunch of talented players. Our guys coming off the bench could start at a lot of other schools.”

Palmetto Ridge is led by veteran coach Steve Crowder, a former Division I basketball player who demands a lot from his players, particularly his point guards.

“I’m harder on Ricky than I am on a lot of other kids,” Crowder admitted. “Mainly because he’s so important to our success. I want him to set up our offense, but he also has to be able to score because he’s our best scorer. He’s also an outstanding defender.

"He wears so many hats for us, and I ride him really, really hard sometimes. But the great thing about Ricky is, you can stay on him and get after him and not once has he ever rolled his eyes, sighed or talked back. That’s just the type of kid he is and why I love him so much. You tell him to do something and he’ll listen to you.”

Jean-Baptiste says his parents, Richard and Mary, have always instilled that sense of respect for his elders.

“I never disrespect my family and I don’t disrespect my coach,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to play for any other coach but Coach Crowder. He always tells it like it is. He goes hard on his players, but he only wants the best from us. He played Division I basketball. He’s been coaching a long time and he really knows what he’s talking about. He’s the best coach around.”

Crowder says he expects his senior leader to extend his playing career into college. At 6 feet tall, Jean-Baptiste lacks the size of a shooting guard, so he’ll likely have to stick as a point guard.

“He’s really a combo guard in a point guard’s body,” Crowder said. “But whether it’s a Division III or NAIA school, someone is going to get a heck of a player. He can shoot, he can handle the ball, he can defend and he can pass. He may not be the tallest kid, but he can really jump. He’s a heck of an athlete who comes from a great family. There’s also nobody that loves basketball or works on his game as much as Ricky does.”

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